So sushi just isn't my thing, but at least now when people protest that I just haven't had good quality sushi I can confidently know that I have. Straight from the ocean actually.
So, my time here is nearly over. It's a crappy rainy day so it's a good day to get myself packed up and prepared for the long flight home. Do have plans to check out my brohters ship this afternoon. It's huge and will be nice to see where he spends so much of his time.
In all, I've had a great time. Though I often felt disoriented, confused and lost, I've had a great experience here and feel more cultured and diversifyed. I'm also coming away with new respect for those who come to our home not really sure what to expect. It's a very overwhelming experience to be in another country not knowing the norms, the language, the menus, the transportation or everyday life. And this I felt knowing that I would be going home in 2 weeks.
I've had a great time hanging with my brother, walking our feet weary in search of temples and statues, and writing our own maps as we discovered the culture, but I am ready to come home.
I'm ready to hit the gym (yes, I actually miss it), scrimmage on Thursdays, get drunk on Miller Lite alone, see all my friends and fam, eat at places where I can read the menu, laugh obnoxiously loud, and blend in with the masses. That being said, thanks for following along and I'll see you all soon!
Kristi

Can you believe that there are no available taxis for my airport transport? Guess its one more adventure on the trains.

After the shot. I couldn't get the beer to my lips fast enough.

Preparing for the shot. Brave face, but you can tell my smile is fake.

The grosse shot-Ugh, I just gagged.

Me wofting healthness on myself.

This pics are from our night out in Shibuya. By the end of the night, Johnny was pretty wasted and barely functioning. I took the above pic of him and I b/c he was passed out leaning up against a wall. I wanted to capture his drunkenness, but all of sudden he flipped a switch and put on his Justin Timberlake face and looks stone sober. Not what I wanted, but it's a good pic. The other pic is the bartender from Peru that wanted me to help him practice his English. First time I didn't have to lie when I said there is no way to contact me ; )

So our plan Sunday was to head to Mt. Fuji. Up to this point we've been lucky to have good weather, so of course the day we need good weather it is cold, rainy and windy. It also turns out the Mt. Fuji is further than we anticipated, so we opted not to go. Guess I'll have to settle with viewing the mountain from Tokyo tower and Yokohama. We then headed to Tokyo to do some more exploring. There is a Hard Rock there that I wanted to stop in, but it wasn't on any maps and none of our taxi drivers knew it or could communicate well enough with us so we also opted not to go there. Not a good start to the day. We headed to Akribara, which is a huge electronic district. For the weather being so crappy, we were surprised that the streets were still packed with people. We went into one store hoping to get something for my niece and nephew. The front looked like a toy store. It was, but it was also an adult video and magazine store. How does that work?? We also hit up the Senso-ji Temple. It's Tokyo's most sacred and spectactular temple. They all look pretty much the same to me though. We did woft some of the joukoro (incense) on us. It's suppose to keep you healthy. The area proved to have some good street walking. I know have have complained about the difficulty I've found finding food, but that's not for lack of quantity. Food stands, carts, and restaurants are everywhere. The Japanese surprisingly love to eat!! And they love their deserts. Ice Cream is advertised everywhere. Baskin Robbins makes a killing here. They walk or ride their bikes everywhere, which I'm spectulating is their key to staying slim.
Last night my brother and I went out in the local bars. He finally held me to me promise of taking the snake shot. Akarbu I think is it's name. It's disgusting-as anything that marinates in a jar with a snake should be. Played some beer pong and met some more sailors. Had a rough morning, but I made it out to do some souvenaire shopping today. At one shop this little old man could speak English fairly well and he spent over 45 minutes talking to me about what all the symbols on his pottery means. Interesting, but like everywhere here I was sweating and just wanted to go outside. Keeping to my manners I politely listened. Did you know the Japanese have 16 commandments to being a good driver. That more than they have for living a fulfilling life.
Heading to dinner soon and as my time here is winding down, I think we are going to tackle a sushi restaurant. Not sure I'll be eating much, but I'm going to try it.